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What you should avoid doing

Do not demand to see the head teacher, the bully or the bully's parents. It is what your child will dread the most and can make the bullying get worse.

Do not tell your child to hit or shout names back as it does not solve the problem and if your child lacks confidence, will add to their anxiety.

Never dismiss the experience. Your child has been brave enough to speak up, don't tell them "it's part of growing up" or "to sort it out yourself". Telling them to ignore it also teaches kids bullying should be tolerated – it shouldn't.

Bullying can destroy your self esteem (Image: Getty)

How to deal with the school

All schools must have an anti-bullying policy, ask to see it or find it on the school website.

Before you go to the school, find out all the facts – what happened, who was involved, when it happened, who was there and whether it was a one-off or not.

Don't arrive unexpectedly. Make an appointment with the head or class teacher

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If you are not satisfied with the school's response, don't give up or feel like you are a time waster or trouble maker.

Write a letter to the head, governors, the local education authority (LEA), Ofsted and the education department

Contact the LEA and ask the education welfare officer or social worker to intervene at the school

Cyber bullying

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Facebook's community standards will not tolerate pages shaming individuals, photos or videos of bullying or physical abuse, sharing personal information to blackmail or harass or repeated hassling for friend requests.

You must report the post, picture or comment.

Twitter will allow you to block someone who is harassing you - but if they continue to approach you online with a different handle, you should report them to Twitter.

YouTube also has a reporting tool page where you can flag up inappropriate videos or ones that subject a person to bullying or harassment.